


Once Upon a December

by RukiaG



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bodyguard, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Post-Canon, Protect AU, Shallura Holiday Month 2017
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-12
Updated: 2018-01-29
Packaged: 2019-02-14 01:47:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12997161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RukiaG/pseuds/RukiaG
Summary: One-shots for Shallura Holyday Month. Some may be AU, some post-canon.





	1. Day 1: Princess/Arurahime

**Author's Note:**

> I decided to publish here in order the prompts I've been posting randomly on Tumblr for shallura month, even if I don't do all of them. This one is for day 1, Princess/Arurahime, and inspired by the protect au by starrycove. (Actually, all of this is just a pretext for writing Shiro speaking Japanese and shallura first kisses ^^)

There was a party at Tokyo’s English embassy. Diplomats and politicians chattered idly, holding glasses filled with expensive beverages while a soft music played on the background.

Among them, Allura Altea seemed to float, hair held in an elegant bun and her silver dress sparkling under the golden lights, everything on her being natural beauty and effortless grace, nodding at the guests and making small talk. From a short distance, on the sidelines, but close enough to act if he was needed, Shiro watched her. There were hundreds of people on the embassy that night, and yet Allura was all he could see.

“Shiro, are you okay?”

Shiro was startled, but he composed himself quickly. At his side, Keith looked at him with barely hidden concern.

“I… Yes, I’m fine. Anything wrong?”

“No, there hasn’t been any incident thus far.”

“Keep your guard up, we have reasons to believe Miss Altea’s life is in danger.”

“Yes, sir.” Keith looked at the crowd. “Hey, where did she go?”

Shiro glanced back at the guests. On the place where Allura was five seconds ago, a bunch of middle aged diplomats were chattering.

Shiro looked around. Where was Allura? Dammit, he was supposed to keep an eye on her all the time.

“Keith, inform the rest of the guards. I’ll see if I can find her.”

Shiro heard Keith speak quickly on the wire as he walked through the crowd. It shouldn’t be so hard to spot Allura on her sparkly dress, but apparently she had disappeared.

Before he could fully panic though, he caught a glimpse of silver out of the corner of his eye, through a door that led to the gardens on one side of the large room. He headed towards it.

The quietness of the night hit him hard, a great contrast with the constant noise inside the manor. He looked around and caught the sparkle of silver between the trees. He got closer, and for a second, he forgot how to breath.

Allura was leaning on the railing surrounding the koi pond, looking at the fish breaking the surface, their bright colours glimmering on the dark water. Her silver dress shimmered under the faint light, and she had let her hair down, falling around her shoulders like a halo.

She looked up, and smiled at him, brighter than the moon on the night sky.

“Shiro! Did you see those koi? They’re so beautiful!”

Shiro blinked, somehow managing to come back to reality.

“Miss Altea, you weren’t supposed to leave the party. You can’t just disappear like that.”

She huffed.

“I thought I told you to call me Allura.”

Shiro brought a hand to his wire. He could hear the head of the security guard almost freaking out, asking him if anyone found Miss Altea.

“ _Hai, Shirogane desu. Arura-hime wa niwa ni imasu._ ”

She tilted her head.

“ _Arura-hime_?” She arched an eyebrow. She may not be fluent in Japanese, but she could understand it well enough. “I thought we agreed I’m not actually a princess.”

Shiro rubbed the back of his neck.

“Sorry, the nickname just… stuck.” He cleared his throat. “We should go back inside. You aren’t supposed to be here all alone.”

“Well, now I’m not alone anymore.” She patted the railing at her side. “Come here, let’s enjoy the night together.”

Shiro hesitated, but it wasn’t as if he could force her to come back. With a resigned sigh, he leant on the railing next to her. To his surprise, she reached out and plucked the wire out of his ear.

“Here, now we can have some alone time.”

“Miss Altea, your father…”

“I know, I know, he’s worried about my safety.” She looked down at the pond. A firefly barely avoided being eaten by a koi. “I just wanted some peace. Those social gatherings can become exhausting.”

Shiro nodded. He had noticed the weariness in her eyes, how she had to restrain herself to not snap at some annoying suitors. Just a few minutes, he told himself. A few minutes of peace and quiet couldn’t hurt anyone, right?

Except that they were going to spend those minutes alone, _together_ , and being alone with the princess was something he’d tried to avoid as of late. It was too hard, at times like this, to keep his eyes from roaming to her red lips, to the gentle curves of her body beneath the tight silver dress, and wondering how her hair would feel if he ran his hands through it.

“You look tense.”

Shiro blinked, and noticed that he had clenched his fists until his knuckles were white. Allura eyed him in a way he couldn’t quite figure out.

“Shiro…” She paused for a second, then continued. “Shiro, did I offend you?”

“What? No, of course no!” That was the last thing he expected. Why would she believe such a thing?

Allura frowned, her eyes inspecting his face intently.

“Then why have you been avoiding me?”

Shiro blushed.

“I didn’t…”

“Don’t lie to me. I’ll know.” She looked confused, and hurt. “I thought you enjoyed my company. I thought…” She fidgeted, and let out a tired sigh. “Never mind. Let’s go back inside. I don’t wish to make your work harder.”

She turned around, and to the surprise of both, Shiro caught her by the elbow. Her eyes widened, but she didn’t yank her arm out of his grip, nor did she punch him, which in hindsight was quite a good sign.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered. “I didn’t intend to hurt your feelings. It’s just…” He took a deep breath. “I didn’t want to hold out much hope.”

She was closer now, so close, he could see the tiny freckles around her nose, the streaks of purple on her eyes, brighter than the stars. Her fingers brushed his jaw, his lips, a silent question none of them dared to say out loud. Shiro tilted his head towards her, Allura stood on her tiptoes.

Their lips brushed.

Shiro opened his eyes. He didn’t even realize he had closed them. He watched as Allura’s eyelids flickered open too, and a bright grin spread through her face. He smiled too, giddy with the taste of her lips, the smell of her hair, the magic of the night.

And then Allura was in his arms, kissing him with a burning passion he had never felt before, and he would have been happy to stay like that until the end of time. But they needed to breathe, so their lips parted, and they held each other, panting heavily, cheeks turned a bright red.

We should go back to the party, Shiro thought. They are probably wondering where did the princess go, why is taking him so long to retrieve her.

But now Allura was tracing his jaw with soft kisses, and he ran his hands through her hair, which he had dreamt to do since the moment he met her, even if he’ll never admit it.

Just a bit longer, he thought. Just a bit longer, a few stolen minutes until they have to go back to their duties. Soon he’ll have to wipe the lipstick out of his face and she’ll put her hair back in a bun and this will be nothing but an impossible dream, a forbidden tryst to be buried and forgotten because it was so, so unprofessional…

Until then though, he’ll enjoy the taste of her lips for as long as he can.


	2. Day 3: Winter/Northern Lights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fairy Tale AU.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, @breezycheezyart on tumblr made some beautiful fanarts for shallura month about Snow Princess Allura and her knight and I had to write a short fairy tale AU about it! (Also, I had an idea about a Shallura Frozen AU, but I don’t know how long it’ll take me).

“Once upon a time, the Winter King ruled over the distant northern lands. He was a wise and fair ruler who had the love and loyalty of his subjects, and his most precious treasure was his only daughter, a young maiden as beautiful and intelligent as her late mother had been.”

The boy listened to his mother with eyes wide open, taking in every word even if he had heard them hundreds of times before. This one had always been his favourite story.

“However, darkness lurked beyond the borders of the northern kingdom, and an Evil as old as time rose from the deepest abyss, consuming everything in its wake. The Winter King led his army to battle, but the darkness defeated all his men, until it reached the King and his Winter Knights. They fought bravely, and they managed to severely wound the Evil, sending it back to the abyss where it came from, but at a great cost, as all the Knights were killed, and the King lied dying on the battlefield. And with his last breath, the King cast a spell over his land, so it would remain safe until the right time came.”

“And what happened to the Winter Princess?”

His mother smiled, tucking the boy in under the worn-out blankets, and kissed his forehead.

“She stayed at the castle to protect her people. When the King cast his spell, she was put to sleep, for her father wanted her to be safe.”

“But I thought the Evil had been defeated!”

From the threshold of the boy’s room, the mother looked at her son, a mysterious smile still on her lips.

“Evil is never truly gone.”

* * *

 

Time passed, and the boy became a dashing young man. He had a younger brother and many friends, but deep inside his heart he yearned for something he couldn’t name.

Until one night, when he dreamt of a great lion, fur as black as the darkest night, large wings spread wide open. The lion roared, and the echoes of that roar craved a desire on his very soul. When he woke up, he knew what he needed to do.

The next morning, he bade farewell to his family and friends, and he parted to a travel towards the northern lands. He crossed rivers and forests, deep vales and mountains as high as the sky, and one day, when he was about to faint due to exhaustion, he saw, far away, on the top of the tallest mountain, a castle made of ice.

The path was long and hard, but eventually, he reached the castle. The massive gates opened as soon as he touched them.

“Hello?”

His voice echoed through the frozen corridors. An elegant staircase led to the gloomy shadows of the upper floor. After a brief hesitation, he climbed it.

The stairs led to a narrow corridor, walls covered in tall windows that let see the cloudless sky. At the end of the corridor, there was an ornate door. He opened it, and his breath caught in his throat.

He was in the most beautiful hall he had ever seen. Columns wide as centuries old trees, carved on an exquisite pattern of delicate swirls and spirals, held the pointed arches that formed a high dome, from which a chandelier made of a crystal so fine it looked as though it would break with the slightest breeze was hanging. The windows mixed clear panels and stained glass, which portrayed the feats of heroes forgotten long ago.

And on the other side of the hall, above a high dais, there was a throne, and on that throne, there was a woman. Her body was covered in frost, the soft light made her sparkle on the blue shadows.

The young man walked through the hall, barely making a sound, not daring to speak a single word. He reached the dais, and without knowing why, he climbed the steps towards the throne. There was something otherworldly about that woman, an ethereal grace buried beneath the cold ice. Without thinking, he brushed the frozen lips with his.

The frost thawed, breaking and disappearing in a cloud of white dust. The woman opened her eyes, and the young man forgot how to breath. She was too beautiful to be human, with hair as white as virgin snow, skin as dark as earth, eyes as blue as a clear winter sky, and dressed in a gown made of northern lights, a crown of stars on her head. The woman took a deep breath, the first in more than a thousand years, and looked at him.

“Who are you? What are you doing in my castle?”

The young man gulped.

“I… My name is Shiro. I…” He hesitated. How was he going to tell her that a winged lion told him to find her? “I had a dream and… and… I just found this castle…”

The intensity of her gaze was making him feel all sort of funny things.

“Are you a Winter Knight?”

“No, my lady. I’m just a foolish peasant who believed in a dream about a winged lion.”

At this, the woman rose to her feet.

“If the Heavenly Lion guided you there, you have been chosen to be a Winter Knight. I am Princess Allura, daughter of Alfor the Winter King. Darkness is about to rise again, I feel it in my soul. If you accept to be my Knight, I swear you’ll be under my protection until the end of time.”

Shiro looked at the Princess, and then he realized that this was what he had been waiting all his life. He barely knew her, but she already had his heart, and so he didn’t hesitate to kneel at her feet and say:

“I’ll be your Knight. My Princess, my life is yours.”


	3. Day 4: Garrison/Altea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Garrison welcomes its new alien students.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I read lots of those “aliens go to Earth/ Allura and Shiro meet at the Garrison” fics and I had to write my own version because I love them. Hope you like it!

Going to space had always been Shiro’s dream. Flying among the stars, going to where no human had been before. He worked hard and managed to get a scholarship at the Galaxy Garrison, his grades keeping him at the top of the class. Soon, he told himself, soon he’d go to space.

So it was quite a surprise when _space_ came to Earth.

Every news channel and internet site went insane the day a delegation of space explorers contacted Earth. _Alien_ space explorers. For a whole year, every international conflict and scheduled diplomatic reunions came to a halt and all governments on Earth focused on discovering more about Earth’s new intergalactic friends.

Of course, the Galaxy Garrison, as an international organization dedicated to exploring space, was very eager to welcome the aliens in its ranks (and maybe getting a hold on highly advanced alien technology). So, when Shiro was on his senior year, the Galaxy Garrison threw a welcome ceremony for its first alien students.

Every teacher and student gathered at the auditorium, where the principal gave a long and boring speech about the importance of respect and cooperation between humans and alien races. The new students sat behind the principal, doing their best to look politely attentive.

Shiro studied the dozen young aliens with interest. They all looked vaguely humanoid. Well, more or less. Two of them seemed made of rock, with solid yellow eyes and short tails. One had four arms, purple hair, and looked extremely annoyed, one was green and thin, and one looked like an anthropomorphic dog. A white haired purple alien with a prosthetic leg muttered something on what probably was the ear of a yellow and white skinned alien, who supressed a giggle. Four of them, apparently female, were sitting close together in one end of the line: one was extremely bulky, one had orange skin, one blue skin and hair, and one looked reptilian and didn’t have eyes.

But the one that drew everybody’s attention was the young woman sitting in the middle. She could have passed for human, even with her white hair, pointed ears and pink marks on her cheeks. At his side, Matt was gawking at her, and Shiro could almost see the stars in his eyes.

“Oh my goodness, she’s so beautiful!”

Shiro nudged him. If Iverson caught them misbehaving he’ll skin both of them alive.

The ceremony ended and most students left the auditorium, though a lot of them stayed to met the aliens. Matt grabbed Shiro by the arm and dragged him towards the crowd.

“What are you doing?”

“What, you don’t want to meet the aliens?” Matt smirked, eyes sparkling. Shiro rolled his eyes. His friend might look smart but he had the nasty habit of chasing after any girl that caught his eye. Or boy. Or any other genre, for that matter.

Though to be honest, Shiro really wanted to meet aliens too (and he’d never admit it out loud, but he’d love to know more about the pretty alien girl).

Matt elbowed his way through the crowd until they were on the inner circle surrounding the aliens. Shiro saw Keith hovering around the foursome of female aliens, his friend Lance (or rival, or whatever they were) was flirting with the yellow skinned alien, Hunk was talking with the two rock people and Katie listened to the green one with all her attention.

And suddenly they were at just a few steps away from the pretty alien girl, who was quite busy entertaining a bunch of admirers. Matt pushed him to the front, and before he could react, Shiro was staring at a beautiful pair of blue eyes. He gulped, trying to find his voice, but Matt beat him.

“Hi, I’m Matt Holt. This is my friend, Takashi Shirogane. You may call him Shiro, everyone does. Nice to meet you!”

The girl arched an eyebrow. They must be quite a sight, Shiro thought, a grinning nerd and a blushing dork, but the alien had perfect manners and nodded slightly.

“Hello. My name is Allura, I’m from planet Altea. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Allura, uh?” Matt beamed. Shiro closed his eyes, he had the feeling he knew what was about to happen. “I should have guessed, you’re very _alluring_!”

Shiro facepalmed and wished the ground would swallow him. Allura blinked, but managed to keep a polite face. It was quite impressive, Matt usually got punched because of his awfully cheesy pick-up lines. Shiro needed to divert the attention before he died of embarrassment.

“How is Altea?”

Allura looked at him up and down, and Shiro felt his blush spread to his neck.

“It’s a beautiful planet. It’s warmer than your Earth, and there are many valleys full of gorgeous flowers all year. Though we don’t have seas as large as yours, most of our water comes from underground natural springs.”

“Sounds… good. I hope I can see it someday.”

Allura smiled, a radiant grin that was highly contagious, and Shiro found himself smiling back at her.

And then, someone else demanded Allura’s attention, and she was looking away from him.

“Dude…” Matt leant towards him, a mischievous spark in his eyes and a grin on his lips. “Dude, I think she likes you.”

Great, now Shiro was sure he was blushing _everywhere_. And Matt would never, ever, let him forget it.

On the bright side though, he met a wonderful alien girl. And maybe, just maybe, he’d be able to know her better.


	4. Day 6: Date Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short and fluffy College AU.

Shiro fell face down on the couch. It had been a long day, and he felt as if his head was full of cotton, and his bones full of lead. The couch creaked under him; it was an old junk full of lumps and stains, but right now Shiro wouldn’t move for anything in the world.

He heard soft footsteps and, out of the corner of his eye, he saw skinny jeans and a indigo sweater.

“Let me guess, you have spent the whole day in the library doing research, going through mind-numbing books so you can finish your thesis.”

Shiro groaned. He didn’t miss the soft teasing on his girlfriend’s voice.

“I’m giving up. I’ll move to a shack in the mountains and live the rest of my life as a hermit.”

Allura chuckled. The couch creaked again when she sat down at his side.

“I’m afraid I can’t allow that. If you move out, I won’t have anyone to snuggle with.”

Shiro smiled and turned around so he could see her. He reached out, cupping her face, caressing her cheek with his thumb.

“We can move out together, and spend every day just snuggling in front of the fireplace.”

“Even in summer?”

He let out a soft laugh.

“Okay, we can snuggle on the porch when it’s warm. How about that?”

“Sounds good.” She ran her hand through his hair. Shiro closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of her fingers tracing his nose, his lips, the strong line of his jaw. “Maybe we should go to bed early, you look really tired. We’ll go out other day.”

Shiro’s eyes snapped open.

“I’m sorry, I totally forgot we planned to go on a date. We could…”

Allura silenced him with a kiss.

“It’s okay, I don’t mind staying home tonight. In fact…” She grinned, a mischievous glint in her eyes. Her hand travelled from his jaw to his chest. “I think it’s better like this. I feel like doing something… you know… something we can only do at home.”

Shiro grinned back at her. He knew what she was thinking. He just wondered if he had enough energy left for something like that.

* * *

 

Shiro looked at Allura, her head resting on his shoulder, eyes closed and mouth half-open. Even if he had been more tired, she was the first to fall asleep, which was quite funny considering how excited she had been when they got in the bed. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and careful to not wake her up, he reached out and hit the pause button on the computer.

They had spent the las three hours watching their favourite show on Netflix. An almost empty bowl of popcorn laid on the floor, where they left it at some point over the last hour, when they made a break to brush their teeth.

Shiro turned off the laptop and left it on the bedside table. It was kind of hard to do when his girlfriend was soundly asleep on his shoulder, but he managed it without Allura waking up.

He turned the lights out and held Allura closer, feeling the soft material of her fluffy pink pyjama under his fingers. Allura had often complained that he needed matching fluffy pyjamas instead of the plain t-shirt and sweatpants he wore to bed. Not that it was a bad idea, those were perfect for cuddling, but somehow he never found the time to go shopping.

Shiro yawned, feeling sleep creep into him. Their plans for the evening might not have been to change into their pyjamas and watch series, but all in all, it was a wonderful night.


	5. Day 7: Homecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the war, team Voltron goes back to Earth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m not very happy how this one turned out, but I’m going to post it anyway.

"Are we there yet?"

Pidge rolled her eyes. Lance had said the same about a dozen times already. He couldn't stand still, fidgeting on his seat nonstop. Hunk wasn't much better.

"…and pizza, of course, because who doesn't love pizza? But Mom is gonna make me all of grandma's dishes, so pizza will have to wait. Oh, no, I just realized we didn't brought souvenirs! My nephews will complain forever that we went to space and didn't bring them anything!"

"Just wait until they know you didn't bring your alien girlfriend." Pidge deadpanned. Matt snickered.

"I told you, Shay isn't my girlfriend!"

"Guys, cut it out. Just a few ticks, and we'll be home." Shiro said. Everyone nodded, but he could still feel the tension, the longing buried inside of them. After everything they had been through, they were going home.

Shiro himself couldn't quite believe it. They were going home. Everyone made out of it alive. His team and Matt and Sam, even Ryou, who had became quite reckless after discovering he was a clone. Now he was standing on the bridge, back straight, jaw clenched, all his body tense with the desire to see a planet he remembered, but never saw before.

The nervousness seemed to infect the Alteans too. Coran walked around checking all the controls several times, while Allura grinned at the humans almost bouncing around her.

Shiro looked at her out of the corner of his eye. The Alteans had nowhere to go after the war, so of course the Paladins invited them to live on Earth. Lance insisted they needed a vacation at the beach, Hunk wanted to cook them all the dishes he couldn’t make in space for lack of ingredients, and the Holt siblings offered them the guest room at their home (which sparked a discussion between Pidge and Matt about how exactly would they fit two aliens in one guest room. They decided that Allura would take the spare room, Coran could use Matt’s room, and Matt would just sleep on the couch).

They passed Pluto on their way to Earth and Shiro’s breath caught in his throat. Last time they were this close of home, all five Paladins were on the Blue Lion, running away from a Galra battleship, and they didn’t have the slightest idea of what they were getting into. And before that...

Shiro glanced at the Holts. Sam looked a bit better than he did when they found him, though Matt still kept close to him to help him walk. Father and son looked at the planet, and the distant spot that the Kerberos moon was, and then they looked at Shiro. It felt like a lifetime ago when they were taking ice samples and joking about meeting aliens, but it was all behind them now, and they were going home.

“Well, there we are!” Coran made a dramatic gesture towards the screen showing a blue spot among stars. “Earth! Now let’s go to the pods in an orderly...”

“I call shotgun!” Lance shouted, already rushing towards the hangar.

“What?! No, not again!” Hunk ran after Lance, while the Holts and Ryou followed at a slower pace. Coran sighed.

“I’ll go see if they need help with the pods.”

Keith shrugged and followed them. Everybody had agreed that people on Earth would freak out if they saw an alien battleship landing on Earth, so they decided to use the small pods instead of the Lions to land, though someone would have to stay at the Castle to control it. Keith volunteered because no one was waiting for him back home, so he’d just say goodbye.

Keith looked behind him and noticed that neither Shiro nor Allura have moved.

“Guys, are you coming?”

Shiro looked at him then at the princess, who was standing still, eyes fixed on the planet.

“Sure, just give us a moment.”

Keith nodded and went to the hangar. Shiro approached the Princess slowly, careful to not startle her out of her reverie.

“Is that Earth?” Allura asked. “It’s so blue...”

“Yes, it is. It’s because most of its surface is covered in oceans. We’d have to get closer to see the continents.”

Allura nodded. Hesitantly, Shiro reached out and held her hand. Allura finally looked away from the planet, locking eyes with him. Shiro took a deep breath.

“You should come with us, I know you want to.”

“I don’t want to leave Coran and Keith alone here, there are still repairs to be done on the Castle after all those battles. I can’t ask them to work while I just go and have fun.”

“They won’t mind. Besides, Coran will say you need to rest after all the quintessence you used.”

That made her chuckle. Part of the reason it took them so long to go back to Earth after the war was because Allura’s strength was too drained to open a wormhole that would leave them right at their solar system from the other side of the universe. In fact, Coran had complained quite a lot about Allura getting out of bed so soon.

Shiro cupped her cheek, his thumb caressing the pink mark there.

“Come with us. I can’t wait to show you your new home.”

“Our new home...” She repeated, and her voice was full of sorrow and longing.

Shiro kissed her softly on the lips. Allura sighed in bliss, their foreheads touching while Shiro wrapped his arms around her. They were home.


	6. Day 8: Paladins/Lions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Shiro's body suffers some weird changes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a little spin-off based on my fic "Children of the Lion Goddess". I hope you like it!

“So, is it bad?”

“What? No! Of course it’s not bad! It’s… Unusual. But I’m sure we can solve this!”

Shiro winced. After everything they had been through, he knew Coran well enough to notice when he was trying to hide something. And right now, the _something_ was that he had no idea how to solve Shiro’s… condition.

It started the day the Black Lion suddenly materialized as a huge lioness. Shiro didn’t really mind, she was like an overly large, overly affectionate kitty who followed him around and wanted cuddles constantly, and it was actually nice to have her keep him company.

The problem was that, a few days later, he woke up with a tail and cat ears.

Coran eyed the new appendage and poked it with a finger. Shiro felt it, and his tail waggled a little. It was quite a weird feeling.

“And you’re sure this isn’t normal on earthlings?”

“Yes, Coran, I’m sure humans aren’t supposed to grow furry tails. The ears aren’t normal either.”

He touched one. They were pointed and covered in soft, black and white hair. Shiro was pretty sure he could move them, just like the tail, but he wasn’t going to learn how because they were going to fix this. Hopefully.

Black rested her head on his lap and purred. Shiro rubbed her neck.

“I guess you don’t have any idea of how this happened?”

Black meowed innocently, Shiro sighed. Just at that moment, the door of the infirmary opened to reveal the rest of the team.

“Coran, did you see… HOLY QUIZNACK WHAT’S THAT?!!”

Shiro winced. His hearing had improved with the new ears and he didn’t appreciate Lance’s shrieks. Hunk’s eyes widened, jaw dropping, and Pidge took a photo with her phone. Keith rushed forward.

“Shiro! Are you okay?”

“Well, I woke up with cat ears and a tail, but apart from that, yes, everything’s okay.”

Keith frowned. Shiro was sure the teen was thinking he wasn’t taken this seriously enough, but compared with the stuff that had happened to Shiro in the past year, becoming half cat wasn’t that bad.

“Wait, are those real?” Hunk said. “I mean, how can you just grow a tail in one night?”

“Well, they look quite real” Pidge examined the ears. Shiro was getting uncomfortable with all the attention. “Hey, they just wiggled! Did you do that on purpose?”

“I don’t think so?” Shiro sighed. He hadn’t feel so self-conscious since he was a teenager. “Look, I know this is weird, but we can’t let it affect our everyday routine.”

“Really?” Lance arched an eyebrow. “Because I don’t see how you’re gonna fit that tail in the armor.” Shiro hesitated. Lance had a point. “Maybe we should skip training for today!”

Of course Lance would take the chance to try to avoid training. Well, he wasn’t going to be the only one to suffer.

“Actually, the fact that I’m unable to train doesn’t mean _you_ guys can’t.” Shiro smirked and turned to the Altean. “Coran, could you direct the Paladin training today? Just while we figure out what to do with… this.”

He gestured to the tail. Coran nodded, moving his hand in a complicated way that was probably an Altean salute.

“Don’t worry Shiro! You can rest at ease, I’ll make sure the Paladins follow a proper training!”

Hunk paled, Pidge gulped, and Lance muttered a curse. Keith still looked more worried about Shiro than about being trained by Coran, which was quite sweet of him. Shiro watched as the Altean rushed the Paladins towards the training deck, and then he glanced at the lioness sitting at his feet.

“So, what do we do now?”

* * *

 

Shiro decided to spend some time for himself on the lounge room, reading a few Altean documents that Pidge and Coran managed to translate, while Black laid on the couch at his side. Sometimes, she nuzzled his side and Shiro petted her head.

Before a _varga_ passed though, the door opened and Allura stepped into the room.

“Shiro?” He looked up in time to see her check out the extras he gained overnight, her curiosity barely hidden under a mask of politeness. “Coran told me what happened. How are you?”

“It could be worse.” Shiro shrugged. “What about Coran? How is the training going?”

“Well, the Paladins don’t scream as much as the first day. It’s quite an improvement.”

Shiro chuckled. Allura smirked and got closer. Black raised her head, watching her with her bright golden eyes. Allura bowed slightly and Black acknowledged her with a regal nod before curling up on the couch and close her eyes, apparently wanting to take a nap.

“I think she likes you.”

“Really? I’m glad to hear that.” She sat down on the free space at Shiro’s side, closer than he expected. “So, I see you’re getting used to your new limb.”

Shiro was a bit confused about what she meant, until he realized his tail was waggling like a happy puppy… well, more like a kitten. Anyway, it was embarrassing.

“Uh… No, not really. I hope they aren’t permanent, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to have a tail, and those ears feel kind of weird.”

“They aren’t weird! In fact, I think your new ears are much better than your ugly human ears.”

Shiro let out a soft laugh. He looked quite cute like that, Allura thought. It wasn’t just the ears (well, those helped too), it was how relaxed and happy he looked now. Without thinking, she reached out and scratched him behind one ear. At first, Shiro was surprised, but then he closed his eyes and _purred_.

Allura arched an eyebrow, Shiro blushed.

And then, she laughed.

“Don’t laugh! This is serious, I’m turning into a cat!”

But he was laughing too, breathless with mirth and how hilariously absurd that situation was.

When they finally calmed down, Allura scratched his ear once again.

“So, this feels good?”

“Yes. Very good.”

Allura smirked and pulled him softly, until his head was resting on her lap, and she kept rubbing his neck and behind his furry ears. Shiro didn’t complain, he just closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling, tail waggling unconsciously and not even noticing when he started purring again.

The tail and ears eventually disappeared as abruptly as they appeared. Allura wouldn’t confess it out loud, but she was a bit disappointed.


	7. Day 10: Snowy Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allua sees snow for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was so much fun to write and still one of my favourites :D

Allura had her nose glued to the window, her breath misting the glass as she watched the landscape outside with eyes wide open. Only the quiet footsteps approaching her made her look away from the window.

“Shiro! Did you see that? There’s some kind of soft material falling from the sky!”

“Uh?” Shiro left the two cups of hot cocoa he’d been carrying on the coffee table and looked outside. A white swirl hit the window panel. “You mean the snow?”

She tilted her head.

“Snow?”

“Yeah, it’s like rain, but with frozen water.”

Her eyes widened even more.

“Do you mean it’s so cold, even water freezes? How can humans live in a place where water can freeze?”

“Well, I guess we adapted.”

Allura was shocked. Every time she thought she was getting used to Earth, she found some new and bizarre fact about it. She glanced back at the window. That white thing kept falling softly, the wind making it swirl sometimes, but always landing on the ground in fluffy piles. It seemed quite harmless.

“Do you want to come out?” Allura looked back at Shiro, who was sitting in front of her, sipping his cocoa. “It’s cold outside, but maybe you’d like to look at it closer?”

Allura took her cup and drank a gulp, enjoying the warm and sweet liquid. She had been a bit suspicious of it at first because humans eat very weird stuff and she still wasn’t over the milkshake fiasco, but Shiro reassured her that, even if hot cocoa could be made with milk, the one he made for her was made with water, and now it was one of her favourite things on Earth.

They sat in silence, sipping their drinks while Allura mulled it over. Outside, the snow was still falling innocently.

“Maybe…” Allura hesitated. “Maybe I could give it a shot?”

Shiro smiled and took their empty cups to the kitchen while Allura put on a coat. When he came back, he let out a chuckle. Apparently, Altea had been closer to its sun than Earth, and Alteans had lived on its many mountain ranges where the weather was always warm, so they were quite uncomfortable with Earth’s colder winters. Which means that, in order to get ready to go outside, Allura now looked like a shapeless bundle of clothes. She had put on three sweaters, included the green and red wool monstrosity Lance’s mother gave her, Shiro’s black leather jacket, two scarves, a beanie, and a heavy coat that almost reached her ankles. She also made herself smaller, to lose less body warmth.

“Are you sure you’re covered up enough?”

“Shut up.” Her answer came slightly muffled from behind the scarves. Shiro grinned, putting on his own coat and scarf. He took the keys and opened the front door.

Allura immediately felt the cold, but if she could help defeat an intergalactic evil empire, she could put up with a little discomfort. She plucked up all her courage and walked to the threshold. The cold bit what little of her skin was exposed as she reached out with a gloved hand. Little pieces of snow fell on it, and Allura pocked them. They were hard and cold even through the fabric. Shiro peeked from behind her.

“You know, if you looked the snowflakes under a microscope, you’ll see all of them are different.”

“Really?” Allura pocked those… snowflakes… a bit harder, and gasped. All that was left of them was some wet strains on her glove. “Shiro, I broke the snowy flakes!”

“Well, they are made of frozen water, of course they’ll thaw with your body warmth.” Shiro wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing the place where her cheek mark should be under the scarves. “Don’t worry, there are lots of them left.”

Allura looked up at the flakes still falling from the sky, and then down at the path covered in snow. Tentatively, she pressed a foot on it. Her foot sank several inches.

“It looks… unstable.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t let you fall.” Shiro released her waist. She missed his warmth, but he held her hand and beckoned her outside. “Try to step where the snow is untouched. Compact snow is quite slippery.”

Allura walked carefully on the snow, trying to not step where he did. It crunched under her feet, making a funny noise, sparkling under the soft glow of the winter sun. She looked up and saw Shiro in front of her, smile wide and hair spattered with snowflakes, cheeks slightly red from the cold.

“So, what do you think? Do you like snow?”

Allura pulled him closer and kissed him… Totally forgetting that her lips were covered by two scarves. Both laughed, and Allura uncovered her face just long enough to peck him on the lips.

“It’s wonderful.”


End file.
